Comments on: I have an oozing sore on my face...http://ask.metafilter.com/19067/I-have-an-oozing-sore-on-my-face/
Comments on Ask MetaFilter post I have an oozing sore on my face...Mon, 23 May 2005 19:42:21 -0800Mon, 23 May 2005 19:42:21 -0800en-ushttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss60Question: I have an oozing sore on my face...http://ask.metafilter.com/19067/I-have-an-oozing-sore-on-my-face
I get these from time to time, usually on the front of my chin or outsides of my mouth: <br /><br /> It flares up red, gets itchy, then oozes a sap-like puss for a day.<br>
If you dont touch it, the puss gets hard/crusty.<br>
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What is this, and how to I treat/get rid of?post:ask.metafilter.com,2005:site.19067Mon, 23 May 2005 19:37:01 -0800phredheadoozingsoresBy: traciclehttp://ask.metafilter.com/19067/I-have-an-oozing-sore-on-my-face#314374
<a href="http://www.mckinley.uiuc.edu/handouts/herpsimp/herpsimp.html">Sounds like a cold sore.</a> Short answer: you're stuck with them for life, but when you learn to spot them at the itchy/tingly stage, you can treat them before they appear.comment:ask.metafilter.com,2005:site.19067-314374Mon, 23 May 2005 19:42:21 -0800tracicleBy: LittleMissCrankyhttp://ask.metafilter.com/19067/I-have-an-oozing-sore-on-my-face#314376
Is it a <a href=http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md/cdc/1573.html>cold sore</a>?comment:ask.metafilter.com,2005:site.19067-314376Mon, 23 May 2005 19:45:24 -0800LittleMissCrankyBy: ookhttp://ask.metafilter.com/19067/I-have-an-oozing-sore-on-my-face#314383
Cold sore. Don't bother with the over-the-counter remedies; they're all entirely useless. Go to your doctor and ask for Denavir, that'll clear it up.comment:ask.metafilter.com,2005:site.19067-314383Mon, 23 May 2005 20:02:23 -0800ookBy: amberglowhttp://ask.metafilter.com/19067/I-have-an-oozing-sore-on-my-face#314410
<a href="http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/impetigo.html">impetigo</a> too, it could be--neosporin will help. does it itch when it's starting?comment:ask.metafilter.com,2005:site.19067-314410Mon, 23 May 2005 20:41:32 -0800amberglowBy: Iaxhttp://ask.metafilter.com/19067/I-have-an-oozing-sore-on-my-face#314412
dont let other people share your drinking glass/straw or other stuff you put near it. You could easily spread it to them.comment:ask.metafilter.com,2005:site.19067-314412Mon, 23 May 2005 20:43:52 -0800IaxBy: amberglowhttp://ask.metafilter.com/19067/I-have-an-oozing-sore-on-my-face#314413
(it's generally a kids thing, but i still get it, too)comment:ask.metafilter.com,2005:site.19067-314413Mon, 23 May 2005 20:44:23 -0800amberglowBy: Carbolichttp://ask.metafilter.com/19067/I-have-an-oozing-sore-on-my-face#314433
I get what sounds like the same thing. It always occurs in exactly the same place about a quarter/half inch below my lip right in the crease between my lip and chin. It never involves my lip or is even up next to my lip. When you look at the examples of cold sores they always seem to be right up at the lip. Can you get cold sores on your chin? I don't think it's impetigo because it always occurs in the same place. Stress seems to be a factor. Makes me think cold sore except for the location. <br>
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No answers. Just hitching on. It's great to have a place where you can share about your running sores.comment:ask.metafilter.com,2005:site.19067-314433Mon, 23 May 2005 21:43:40 -0800CarbolicBy: arhahttp://ask.metafilter.com/19067/I-have-an-oozing-sore-on-my-face#314465
Carbolic, you can get cold sores pretty much anywhere around your mouth. I used to get them exclusively on my lips, but they have since moved to my chin. I'm just thankful that, unlike a family friend, I do not get them in and around my nostrils.comment:ask.metafilter.com,2005:site.19067-314465Mon, 23 May 2005 23:03:15 -0800arhaBy: wsghttp://ask.metafilter.com/19067/I-have-an-oozing-sore-on-my-face#314496
More info <a href="http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLC,GGLC:1969-53,GGLC:en&q=%22cold+sore%22%2Bherpes">here</a>.comment:ask.metafilter.com,2005:site.19067-314496Tue, 24 May 2005 01:11:05 -0800wsgBy: incessanthttp://ask.metafilter.com/19067/I-have-an-oozing-sore-on-my-face#314506
I'd just like to say that I've had great success with Abreva, an over the counter medicine, and everyone I've turned it on to seems to have a similar good experience. The trick is to identify when they're just about to come on and then slather the stuff on and rub it in completely a few times a day. Ever since I started using it, my cold sores have gone from annoying and lasting for a couple weeks to annoying and lasting a day or two.<br>
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And keep in mind, even Katie Holmes gets them! Not that I read US Weekly. No kids thing, Amber -- all the adults in my family are afflicted, including my 92 year-old grandmother.comment:ask.metafilter.com,2005:site.19067-314506Tue, 24 May 2005 02:00:07 -0800incessantBy: furtivehttp://ask.metafilter.com/19067/I-have-an-oozing-sore-on-my-face#314526
High stress or extreme weather conditions often seem key to triggering them. I get one in the same place about every other year although it's been more than two years since my last. Most often I get it from skiing/snowshoeing without putting any sunscreen on, although once i triggered it by a simple scratch.comment:ask.metafilter.com,2005:site.19067-314526Tue, 24 May 2005 04:38:46 -0800furtiveBy: Faint of Butthttp://ask.metafilter.com/19067/I-have-an-oozing-sore-on-my-face#314533
I second the suggestion of Abreva. It's really expensive and comes in a tiny, easy-to-lose tube packaged in a weird, almost unopenable plasticky box, but damned if it doesn't halt cold sores right in their tracks. Start using it as soon as you feel that itchy tingle, and use it religiously several times a day. It really does work.comment:ask.metafilter.com,2005:site.19067-314533Tue, 24 May 2005 05:14:31 -0800Faint of ButtBy: Faint of Butthttp://ask.metafilter.com/19067/I-have-an-oozing-sore-on-my-face#314535
Oh, and if cold sores start oozing, <i>don't touch them!</i> If you do, wash your hands immediately. The pus is how the virus spreads, either to other people or other parts of your face.comment:ask.metafilter.com,2005:site.19067-314535Tue, 24 May 2005 05:16:40 -0800Faint of ButtBy: jugglerhttp://ask.metafilter.com/19067/I-have-an-oozing-sore-on-my-face#314582
Most people get these the first time as kids. Like chickenpox, it is a form of the herpes virus. The first outbreak tends to be the worse and each recurrence a little less severe. When I feel one coming on, I immediately take two Valtrex (a prescription drug normally taken for genital herpes) and start using Denavir (a prescription salve already mentioned). These two together usually stop it before the skin breaks, and so it recovers very quickly and unnoticeably. Do take precautions to not spread it. Wash your hands after every time you touch your face. Be VERY careful not to touch your eyes! BTW, the studies show that taking two Valtrex upon the initial sensation is effective, but taking any more, or continuing to take the dosage for several days, has no additional beneficial effects.comment:ask.metafilter.com,2005:site.19067-314582Tue, 24 May 2005 07:20:02 -0800juggler